


Bully

by Deescent



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bullying, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:14:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23738929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deescent/pseuds/Deescent
Summary: Mark is constantly bullied by Im Jaebeom who hates him for god knows what reason, despite them both being halfway through college and such behavior was simply childish-Yet, behind the insults and occasional unnecessary rough-housing, Mark caught glimpses of who Jaebeom really was, and finds himself intrigued the more he got to know his bully.Something told him he might not be as hated as he thought he was.
Relationships: Im Jaebum | JB/Mark Tuan
Comments: 35
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

Mark walked down the sidewalk with his book bag slung over one shoulder, taking his usual route back to the dorms where he temporarily resided. The cool air of early September brushed over his skin, reminding him of the incoming cold that would soon engulf the town in just a few months. For now though, Mark was content with wearing large light sweaters that kept him warm enough and properly ventilated all at the same time. He’d just finished his last afternoon class, and was headed back to his dorm to rest as he usually did after his long day of nothing but work.

The walk wasn’t that far, and Mark didn’t have a car to drive anyway, so he always took his usual, somewhat scenic route back and forth between school and the dorms. They were positioned not far off campus, just a few blocks, but Mark appreciated the walk despite how short it was since he'd get to pass by the nearby park with a shimmering lake that he’d admire every afternoon, and occasionally visited when he craved some alone time. Nice and quiet serene surroundings took an edge off the stress for the day, which was necessary for a public relations majored college student who had his fill of social interactions after hours upon hours of it.

The only downside to this route was that it had other frequent travelers, which Mark did not appreciate one bit. Sometimes it was a loud group of friends, disturbing the peace and occasionally littering, which ruined the already rotting Earth's crust. Other times it was people who were just disrespectful and vandalized nearby buildings for no good reason. Mark could tolerate these people by simply ignoring them, pulling his hood up over his head and marching along as if they didn't exist, though he'd be a bit agitated that his usually calm evening walk was disrupted by such ruckus.

There was one person though, who Mark knew took that route to and from school all too well since they lived on opposite sides of the same dorm complex. He despised this one the most out of anyone he's come across on the path. Those other annoying kids always minded their business, so of course they were easy to ignore. Annoying most definitely, but easy to breeze past as if they were just trees rustling in the wind.

This particular person though, one that was slightly broader, slightly taller-- just larger than Mark in general-- who used his dimensions just to pester him; he was someone Mark couldn't stand. Mark always had to brace himself for this one, sometimes he'd show up, other times he’s nowhere to be found. That day in particular, Mark’s eyes had been glued to the cement, and it was only when he looked up that he met eyes with that man in the distance that he got a familiar dreaded feeling in his stomach. 

This wasn’t unusual. Mark took his regular route home everyday, and he also ran into a not so regular group of students whose main goal in life seemed to be just to make his life harder. The person who tended to lead this group was named Im Jaebeom, someone who Mark knew personally; not because they were once friends or anything heartwarming like that, but because Jaebeom had drilled his name into Mark’s head after weeks and weeks of constant badgering, forcing him to remember who was tormenting him everyday. They happened to be in the same media history class, which Mark would've totally switched out of if only he didn't need the credits and could foresee this almost daily harassment. Now there was no way to forget, Im Jaebeom.

Mark just tried to handle today like he's handled every other day he’d crossed paths with his bully; by keeping his eyes on the ground as he walked passed, hopefully avoiding his wrath.

Though, that rarely ever happened. Jaebeom’s taken an interest in tormenting only him, so once they cross paths, there was practically no way Mark would get out of there unscathed.

“Look, there goes our little shithead.” Jaebeom announced as Mark tried desperately to quickly walk by without looking like he was running for dear life. Though his path was blocked by Jaebeom and the rest of his crew of three other guys that honestly just followed Jaebeom around like an entourage.

They all wore evil grins, like a line of devils before him finding joy in causing mischief. If he could, Mark would've punched them all in their annoying toothy grins.

“Fuck off.” he grumbled out instead, stepping aside to bypass the group.

Jaebeom’s head cocked to the side, his brows rose at Mark’s response. He stepped in the smaller male’s way to block him from walking past, arms folded over his chest. “What? Say that again?”

Mark rolled his eyes, again trying to make his way past the group. He didn't have time nor energy for this, he never did. “Leave me alone Jaebeom.”

Mark got one footstep past Jaebeom before he was suddenly being yanked backwards by his bag, stumbling over his own feet as he tried to catch his balance. His bag was quickly confiscated, looking up quick enough to witness Jaebeom carelessly toss it onto the ground just a few feet away. The younger then looked back at Mark, his arms crossed over his chest again after briefly pointing at the abused bag.

“Pick it up.” he ordered, his eyes holding an expectant stare as if the other were his servant. 

Mark scoffed, shaking his head. “No, you threw it down there so-“

Before he could finish, Jaebeom was in Mark’s face, his taller and broader stature making Mark look like a sad little twig in comparison. Out of natural instincts Mark backed away, only to have Jaebeom stepping closer to keep the intimidating distance. 

“Pick it up.” Jaebeom repeated his tone letting Mark know that he definitely did  _ not  _ like repeating himself.

Mark felt his chest tighten, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't scared, or rather, he couldn't let Jaebeom see whether he was or not, else it'd be adding more fuel to the fire. Fighting back at the moment didn't seem like a good idea, and arguing would only cause more trouble. Mark liked getting home in one whole piece, and he wasn't trying to let Jaebeom change that today. 

With a glare that could kill if possible, Mark slowly shuffled over towards where his bag pathetically laid. He reluctantly bent down and picked it up, never losing eye contact with Jaebeom as he slung it onto his back. He also had to pick up some additional books and folders that fell out of the bag that had opened when it hit the ground, clutching the items dearly to his chest.

Jaebeom was just having a blast, a stupid grin resting on his face as Mark did what he was told. That couldn't be the end of it though, Mark couldn't be left alone after that. Jaebeom just wouldn't allow him to leave with the humiliation he already felt, no, Jaebeom always took it a step further. This time, he slapped the books that Mark had just picked up out of his hand and shoved him in the chest, making him fall backwards to the ground.

Mark felt his hands and elbow scrape the hard cement, hissing at the dull burn. He looked up at Jaebeom who was hovering over him, a smile on his face as he and his crew members just laughed at Mark’s expense. Mark had the burning desire to kick him in the dick. It was right there, and all he had to do was swing his leg up.

He didn't do it of course, but he definitely could have.

“Get up twink.” Jaebeom demanded, his shit eating grin just pissing Mark off even more. “Think you’re so tough, huh? Looks like you're gonna cry.”

Mark shook his head, pulling himself up off of the ground to face Jaebeom eye to eye. His hands balled into fists as he did the absolute most he could to keep his rage in. Controlling his anger physically was easy, but his mouth was something that had a mind of its own. “Fuck off Jaebeom! I can’t have one fucking day without you harassing me?”

Jaebeom’s brows rose in amusement, almost sadistically, like he enjoyed seeing Mark defend himself against someone who overall he was no match for. It was like Mark was his little toy and he wanted to see what type of reactions he could pull out of him next. 

“You wanna feel some  _ real  _ harassment?” Jaebeom asked before grabbing the collar of Mark’s sweater into his fists and tugging him along.

“Let go! Stop it!” Mark yelled, his hands grabbing at Jaebeom's wrist in an effort to get him to loosen his grip. His back hit the hard brick wall of the building they were standing next to, and by that point, Mark wasn’t sure what might happen next.

He could predict about 3 different outcomes. One turning out where Jaebeom was just fucking with him and lets him go after scaring him. Another where Mark is able to squirm out of his grasp and escape. Or lastly, and definitely most likely, Mark was about to get the shit beaten out of him, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Jaebeom hadn't ever beaten him up yet, but he definitely liked to “play” rough with Mark. It was nothing ever too serious, Mark never ended up with long lasting bruises and cuts, but it was enough to hurt his pride. As an independent man, he felt that he should be able to protect himself, yet Jaebeom always came around and rough-housed him as if he were a rag doll for his disposal.

“Hey!” a voice interrupted just as Mark’s back hit the brick wall of the nearby building.

Jaebeom turned his gaze toward the origin of the sound, clicking his tongue when he saw another male he recognized hurrying in their direction. Jaebeom and Jackson didn't know one another all too well, but ever since he and Mark became roommates, he's learned of Jaebeom's tendencies to catch Mark alone and push him around a bit. 

Jaebeom glanced back at Mark, releasing him with a hard push against the wall. “Oh, there goes your boyfriend. Lucky he came to save you.” he grumbled, tugging his bag up on his back before turning away. “Come on guys.”

Mark watched Jaebeom’s entourage turn and walk away like a herd of sheep that only listened to him, while Jaebeom followed and snuck a glance back at Mark, throwing him a mocking smile just to irk his nerves.

“Fuckers!” Jackson yelled as he approached, throwing up a middle finger at the 4 backs that didn't pay him any mind. He set a hand on Mark’s shoulder, his eyes scanning the elder’s body for any bumps or bruises. “Mark are you alright? You hurt?”

Mark sighed, tugging his bag higher onto his shoulder. “I’m fine… he just pushed me around a bit.”

“He looked like he was planning on bashing your face in if I hadn’t come.” Jackson replied, relief in his tone that things hadn't escalated to that point.

“That’s why he keeps bullying me. He thinks I’m weak, and you showing up to defend me isn’t helping.” Mark grumbled, pushing off the wall to head in the direction of his dorm. Unfortunately it was the same direction Jaebeom had just gone, but he felt he'd given the group enough to get a head start, so prayerfully they didn't have to meet again.

Jackson followed, scoffing at the elder’s response. “Well look how many times you could’ve gotten your ass best if I hadn’t shown up.”

“I can handle myself Jackson.” Mark assured.

“Like hell you can.” His friend retorted. “You may not be weak necessarily, but you  _ definitely  _ can’t take Jaebeom on. I mean, you’re like a foot shorter than him.”

“Not a foot! That's exaggerating!” Mark whined. That height thing was crucial to him, as it was to many other guys; Jaebeom only had a few centimeters on him, he wasn’t  _ that  _ puny in comparison.

Jackson rolled his eyes, waving away the specifics. “Okay, but you get what I mean. You should just stop walking this way, obviously he and his crew just wait for you to come by to bother you.”

Not taking his usual route to the dorms was a logical option that Mark had considered  _ multiple  _ times after  _ multiple  _ different interactions with Jaebeom. But it was unfair that he had to switch up things just to avoid one person who had some weird obsession with bothering him. Besides, how would Mark look if he started running away from Jaebeom rather than facing him? That would just be even more of a reason to make fun of him; why throw more gas on an already burning flame? Showing weakness wasn't an option, and fighting back wasn't either, so his next best bet was just showing that he wasn't afraid of Jaebeom’s torment. Surely if he and his friends got bored of Mark, they'll leave him alone.

“Jackson, I said I can handle myself. I don’t need you to protect me, and I don’t need to run away from him like a scared little baby. I need to prove that I’m the bigger person here.” the elder responded.

“Not literally though Mark. You have to act more mature than him, but that doesn’t mean let yourself get jumped by him every other day. You  _ physically _ are not the bigger person, get that through your head.” Jackson scolded while poking the elder in the side of his noggin.

Mark gave Jackson a deserving hard elbow in the arm, the latter wincing and clutching the attacked area. “Shut up Jackson, who cares about that…”

“You do obviously.” Jackson grumbled, deciding to drop the topic there once he received a deadly glare from Mark. “Just… let’s get some dinner then head to the dorm...”

“Okay, but I’ll have to head back out after eating.”

Jackson frowned, glancing up at the darkening sky, then back at Mark. “What? Why?”

“I have a final in a few days. Need to study.”

“Mark, I don’t like you being out so late…”

The elder scoffed, briefly checking the time on his watch. It was only around 5pm, it wasn't  _ that  _ late. “What are you, my mom? I’m an adult Jackson.”

That wasn't the first time he said such a thing to Jackson, especially since the younger was the worry wart type. Mark always had to let him know where he was and what he was doing and what time he'll be back-- he left home just to get away from those suffocating restrictions, only to become best friends with someone who might as well be his parent away from home.

“I know just… be careful, okay?” Jackson mumbled. He had good reason to worry; Mark was always getting picked on by someone and he hated that he was never there to help, but Jackson couldn't protect someone who refused to be protected.

“Yeah, whatever.” Mark replied with the shrug of his shoulders. He was sure he'd be fine, Jackson worried way too much. Not even Jaebeom could get to him, he was sure he was capable of taking care of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I've been harboring this story for so long, and I've been hesitant to upload it due to the slightly less popular ship and the possibility of no smut; but I decided to finally upload it because I missed this platform so much! 
> 
> So, if you're here for the ride, welcome and thank you lol, i kinda have a plan for this story but also not really if that makes sense?? But I do intend to try and make it as good as I can! Thank you~!
> 
> oh also, sorry if i mess up Jaebeom's name sometimes; i've been trying so hard to fix my spelling of it to how he likes it but habits are hard to break lol.


	2. Chapter 2

Mark took a seat in the cushioned chair before a large wooden table, setting his bag down on the floor beside it. He gave a brief glance at his watch-- nearly 9 pm. If he and Jackson hadn’t bickered about where to eat for an hour, then he wouldn't have been in the library so late. And it probably would have helped if both of them hadn't forgotten their wallets in the dorm as well.

At least he had some food in his system to hold him a while as he worked; it just seemed like his brain functioned better on a full belly and a later time of night. He knew he’d be there for a while, so he bought some more snacks to hold him over; a bag of chips, bottled water, and some chocolate to fill his sweets craving.

He dug into his now heavy with textbooks bag that he filled before leaving Jackson at the dorm, planning on covering a variety of topics for his different classes. He spread a notebook, laptop, and unnecessarily huge Biology textbook out before him, all the while mentally preparing himself for the long night ahead.

Though Mark was a public relations major, he had to take distribution classes for his degree, which had absolutely nothing to do with the major. He had to fill up some science credits, and Biology was supposedly the easiest science class, therefore enticing him to register. Though, he rapidly regretted it after receiving his first 5 page research assignment, which albeit wasn't a ton of work, was still tedious and rather annoying to have to complete. He needed to learn this stuff to pass the upcoming tests though, which is what brought him to the library in the first place.

He opened up his books with a heavy sigh, briefly taking a look around the library before he'd have to bury his nose in his notes. Not many people were there on a Friday night, mostly everyone was at home relaxing or partying, except for just a few other students that were littered around the library in their own respective secluded spaces. Nothing really interesting to see.

Mark finally hunkered down and got to reading the textbook, cramming all the information he seemed to have forgotten over the semester back into his brain. Each sentence in every paragraph seemed to drag on longer than it should, going on and on about cells and tissue and whatever else Mark was supposed to know but didn't have the mental focus to remember. It was like words went into his brain and fell out just moments after; he was probably gonna be there a while.

Just as he was trying to regain focus on the mind numbingly boring text before him, someone suddenly approached where he sat, sitting right across from Mark in the chair on the other side of the wooden table. Mark initially ignored them, though it was weird for someone to sit so nearby since it was basically an unwritten rule to separate yourself as far away as possible from anyone else. 

He pushed the thought out of his mind soon after, it wasn't that deep to think too much about, Mark was good at ignoring others anyway.

That was, unless he was being pestered nonstop by 'others'.

And by 'others', he meant the person that he least expected to see in the library while studying late at night. 

He was startled when his textbook was yanked out of his hands, his eyes slowly tilting up to glare at the culprit.

“Hey…!” he mumbled, the complaint he planned on letting out dying in his throat when his gaze lifted and dreadfully met Jaebeom’s.

The younger was examining the textbook, disgust plastered on his face as he carelessly flipped through the pages. “What is this? Physics? Fucking nerd.”

It definitely wasn't Physics, Mark didn't have the brain power to comprehend such a difficult science, be he also didn't have it in him to go through correcting the misinformation. Jaebeom would probably punch him if he did anyway.

“Jaebeom why… just give me my book back.” Mark leaped out of his chair, reaching over the table for the book, only for the other to throw the thing to the floor. It made a loud sound that attracted some eyes, but the attention left them just as fast as it came.

“Come pick it up.” Jaebeom ordered.

Mark’s jaw hung open as he tried to comprehend what the hell was wrong with this guy, how the hell he even found him, and why the hell he insisted on torturing him like this. “Jaebeom no, stop this, just give it back.”

The younger gestured closely to the disrespected textbook still waiting for someone to retrieve it. “It’s right here on the floor. Pick it up.”

There was no good plausible reason for Mark to have to go through this nearly everyday, he felt like Jaebeom’s personal rag doll that he threw around when angry or bored. Why  _ him  _ of all people? Why not Jackson? Why not some other nerdy looking guy in the class? For sure Mark didn't look like anything special, he didn't have a lot of money or special benefit; as far as he knew he was the average Joe-- just named Mark. 

He really didn't have the energy nor time to keep dealing with this nonsense. He wanted this semester to go by as smoothly as possible, but Jaebeom intended on making the road to the end long and difficult. There was no point to even try and fight with him, Mark learned that a long time ago. No matter what, he was always Jaebeom’s target, and the only reason Mark could think up as to why Jaebeom seemed so obsessed with pestering him was purely just due to boredom.

Mark just figured that Jaebeom was  _ so  _ bored that he had nothing better to do than torment him. He couldn't relate, nor did he want to. He had things to do, people to hang out with, and tests to study for. No time for bullshitting, and that included dealing with Jaebeom.

With a reluctant sigh he gave in and walked around the table, feeling Jaebeom’s eyes glued to him in pure satisfaction as he picked up the textbook. He shot a glare at the younger man, who always felt some sort of gratification from ordering Mark around like an underpaid servant.

It had to be some sick kink he had that just tickled his fancy of being in control, probably stemming from being so insecure about himself that he had to forcibly give himself a sense of importance and instill it on the innocent people around him.

That was just an assumption Mark made up in his head-- surely he would be strangled if he ever said it aloud.

“Feels nice telling you what to do.” Jaebeom hummed as Mark plopped himself back down in the chair opposite him, the elder avoiding eye contact as if Jaebeom were a bull just waiting to be angered.

Yeah, it had to be some sick kink.

“You're a dick.” Mark mumbled as he angrily flipped through the textbook’s pages to get back to his studies.

Jaebeom blatantly ignored a lot of the things Mark said, the insults often one of them. “So, why are you here?”

“Why do you want to know? I should be asking  _ you  _ that question.” Mark grumbled back.

“I came here to study dumbass. We all have our first exams around this time.”

Mark nearly barked out a laugh. Never in a million years would he imagine Jaebeom studying for anything. So far in the art history class they shared, he seemed to pay little to no attention to anything being taught, always on his phone or whispering to friends. It was unknown how he'd gotten so far into his college life without failing a class yet, the last thing Mark would describe him as was scholarly.

“Well shouldn’t you be focused on studying than on me?” Mark asked, going along with the most likely fake excuse Jaebeom provided. 

He was more than likely here to meet up with a girl or his friends or someone, the library was the universal place for gathering and making plans with others since everyone knew where it was-- right in the center of the campus. And Jaebeom didn't even look like he came with a backpack, how would he study without any books?

“I can’t focus on anything when I’m sitting across from your ass.”

Mark glanced up at him, rolling his eyes at the insult. “You chose to sit here. I was at the table first.”

Jaebeom rested his head in his hand, staring at Mark through those dark, merciless eyes. “Well too bad. I’m sitting here now, so if you want quiet, then leave.”

“Fuck you.”

Mark clicked his tongue, slamming his books and laptops shut. He found it ridiculous that  _ he  _ had to leave just to get in some study time, but Jaebeom would make it impossible for him to focus if he stayed any longer. Normally if Jackson were here he’d scold Mark for giving the bully exactly what he wanted, but he never cared much about that. All Mark desired was to pass this semester and be done with Jaebeom for good, hoping that the next semester they didn’t end up registering for the same classes again. 

He could feel Jaebeom’s judgmental eyes watching him as he packed up his stuff and relocated; as long as he stayed far away he didn’t care too much. There wasn’t anywhere else to sit that wouldn’t disturb the other students also cramming for their exams, and the otherwise empty table he’d been sitting at was hijacked by the person he’d been trying to avoid nonstop, eventually leading him to settle on the floor in between some bookshelves. He sat far towards the back of the library, a place where people rarely went since the books there were about such obscure topics ranging from pottery to politics. Mark had seen a couple making out back there once, possibly planning to do other things, but from that day on he, like many other students, avoided this corner unless there was literally no where else to go. No one really cared where you did your work, as long as you did it quietly and minded your business, it was rare that anyone would bother you.

Mark pulled his study materials out again, flipping open his books to the pages he still hadn’t read and rubbing his back that was suffering from his awful posture and no proper chair to sit on. He could handle a few hours like this, despite it being excruciatingly long and boring, that’s basically what college was for him; studying, boredom, and more studying.

Not enough boredom to constantly bother people like Jaebeom had but, enough boredom to keep him searching for something to put his time to good use.

Finally getting a few moments of quiet came with him finally being able to get focused into his reading on the different parts of cells and what their function was. He had little interest in the topic, but it was like the game of chess; once you understand it the more intriguing it became. He started scribbling notes to review before his test later that week; words and definitions that he knew he’d forget, confusing concepts, and things he’d need to research for a better understanding. Mark wouldn’t say he was a  _ good _ student necessarily, but he did try his hardest.

He was so zoned in on his studying that the approaching heavy footsteps were barely registered until a set of black boots stood just in the peripheral of his vision, and even then he didn’t look up, assuming it was just a student trying to find something to read to occupy their time.

“On the floor where you belong, huh.”

Mark froze at the familiar voice, his eyes closing momentarily to keep himself from getting more annoyed by looking up at the face that was glowering down at him. Seriously, this guy was obsessed. “Are you following me?”

“Hell no” Jaebeom responded, almost like he’d spit on Mark if he ever accused him of it again. “I got better things to do.”

Funny response to give when Mark hadn't seen him do much of anything for the near half an hour he’d been in the library. “Then why are you here?”

“It’s a library. I can be anywhere I want.” Jaebeom turned away, looking amongst the shelves lined with dozens of random books. “I need a book anyway…”

“Then just pretend you don’t see me.” Mark retorted while pulling his knees up to his chest, keeping his distance from the younger who could definitely physically harm him and get away with it in such a desolate part of the library.

“I’m trying, but your ugliness is too distracting.” Jaebeom spat back.

He sounded like a defensive kid, the immaturity made Mark’s eyes roll dozens of times, he should be dizzy at this point. “You have nothing better to say than to constantly insult me?”

Jaebeom scoffed, turning back towards the elder, standing over him with intimidation reeking off his posture. “What are you gonna do about it?”

Mark looked down, keeping silent. What could he do about it? As much as he hated to admit it, Jaebeom could beat him to a pulp. Mark was in no way a fighter, and of course he’d throw down if absolutely necessary, but that didn’t mean he’ll win the fight. Even verbal battles, Mark gave up too easily in. Jaebeom always walked away with the last word, and if he didn’t, then he would give Mark an extra dosage of torture just to make up for it.

“Right. Nothing.” Jaebeom sneered, an annoying chuckle slipping through his lips.

Mark was just about ready to tear his hair out— how much did it take to just get an hour of peace? He was there to study, not to be berated with insults; he was on the verge of bursting at this point. “Jaebeom please, just leave me alone…”

Jaebeom pulled back, his demeanor softening slightly. The one thing Mark couldn’t fault him for was knowing when enough was enough— sure he could just stop bothering him all together; but obviously that wasn’t an option in Jaebeom’s mind. He did however, recognize when Mark was reaching a boiling point, and often times he’d back off with a final insult and move on with his day.

That was at least appreciated. Still incredibly annoying, but appreciated.

“I’m just here for this book. I’m leaving.” He grumbled out, turning on his heels with a book that Mark didn’t even notice him pull off the shelf in hand.

“Thank god…” Mark sighed out, shutting his mouth immediately as Jaebeom spun back around and glared at him.

“Shut the hell up, shithead.”

With that Jaebeom left, and Mark waited just a few moments in case he returned before finally rejoicing. Handling Jaebeom was more than he ever bargained for, but exchanging a few minutes of annoyance for hours of uninterrupted silence was good enough for him.

He stayed curled up in that corner, cramming pages and pages of information into his brain that he knew he'd forget by the next morning, but still studied anyway. He had planned on trying to study for two subjects, his art history class also had a midterm with information he needed to know by later that week, but by the time he'd finished up Biology and felt exerted of all energy, it was just about 11:30pm, which was late enough for him to call it a night. He knew he'd be spending more of his afternoons and evenings in the library or a study hall doing some last minute cramming, but he was done for the day and needed to go home to rest his brain. 

Mark gathered his books off the floor and shoved them in his bag along with his laptop, slinging the bag over his shoulder and dusting himself off from the random particles that had transferred from the floor to his clothes. While leaving the isolated corner of the library, he was met with a much more empty room; where people used to be littered about, they were now gone. As it got later the other sleep deprived students felt the same fatigue Mark did, eventually going home or to their dorm while some others straggled behind.

Nowhere did he spot Jaebeom who used to occupy the now totally empty chairs and table that Mark had originally claimed. It wasn't a surprise though, Jaebeom seemed pretty sociable around campus and had much better things to do with his evening than sit in a library all day. He probably went to some party or something, either way, Mark was glad the younger wasn't there to bother him still.

He made his way to the entrance, stepping out of the library and into the brisk air of night, the only source of light from the lamps littered throughout campus and the full moon high in the sky. Mark liked the night time, the deep ink colored sky stretching out above him with speckles of stars scattered across it like spilled paint. The campus was located close enough to the city, but far enough in the country to see more stars out than usual. It was really nice at night, and the only reason why Mark avoided being out alone in the beautiful dark was his slight fear of the dark.

It wasn't anything major, he didn't sleep with a night light or freak out during black outs; rather it just left him with an eerie feeling, especially when by himself. And he had a somewhat lengthy walk ahead of him from the middle of campus to his dorm complex, which wasn't exactly a fun trip when every little noise startled him.

While tugging his bag up on his back and shoving cold hands into his hoodie pocket, he began to head home. The chilly wind that kissed his cheeks red sent shivers up his spine, urging him to hurry back to the warmth of his shared dorm room.

He was already a fast walker, especially when a bit creeped out, so he figured he’ll be back at the dorms in about 10 minutes or so. He could turn it into a leisurely 30 minute walk if he felt particularly lazy on any given day, or a 5 minute run if he'd forgotten something important.

The first two or so minutes of the walk wasn't bad, though that was probably because he was still on campus and every few steps was lit by lamp posts to guide his way. Once he got off of campus and on to the dark sidewalk, he grew a bit more paranoid; but the key to walking safely at night was to look confident so no one would want to bother you.

Mark lacked in that aspect, not that he wasn't confident or anything, but he just naturally didn't look like much. No one would be intimidated by him, he just had too gentle of a ‘look’ for anyone to really be wary of him. He didn't care much about that though, he was more focused on getting from point A to point B, and usually he'd be able to handle anything that got in his way.

The only thing he couldn't really face head on was the eeriness of the dark; not being able to see anything lurking around in the surrounding area was what scared him most despite being in a pretty protected area with the campus nearby. The sounds of rustling made him pick up the pace, feet padding fast on the hard cement.

Though it wasn't only his feet he heard beating down on the pavement. When Mark focused on the sound, he realized another set of footsteps was behind him, and sounded startlingly close. Everything in him wanted to spin around and gawk at whoever it was behind him, but he figured it was probably just another hard studying student trying to get home late and happened to live in the same direction. He kept walking, pace growing faster.

Instead of receding, the footsteps behind him seemed to grow quicker. It was startlingly odd to hear them so clearly behind him, and pretty frightening that they matched the speed of Mark's feet. He hadn't noticed how hard he was breathing until his throat began to hurt from the cool air constantly rushing through it, and only then did he realize how quick he was walking, practically running now that this person behind him was also speeding up. 

His heart pumped fast in his chest, adrenaline sparking his fight or flight response, and flight was starting to look like the more apparent option. He could only think: was this is? Was he going to mysteriously disappear to never be seen again? Was the dark, dimly lit sidewalk the last thing he'd see before he'd turn into the next college student murder case?

Mark was moments from breaking into a sprint, not willing to take any chances whatsoever. Before he even could, something frantically curled around his wrist, suddenly yanking him backwards. His unknown follower had gotten closer than he expected, and in that brief moment of stumbling over his own feet to catch his balance, Mark was ready to fight for his life. He gasped as he was spun around, eyes finally resting on his attacker.

“What are you so scared of? Too much of a bitch to walk by yourself, huh.”

Never in his life had Mark imagined letting out a sigh of relief when seeing Jaebeom's face. He did feel a mild sense of agitation, but deep down inside, he was glad he wasn't alone. His initial fear must've shown all over his face though, which now had to be matched with a totally unphased expression that wasn't convincing at all since the elder was still taking in shaky breaths. “Fuck Jaebeom, this is stalking, leave me alone.”

“I’d rather stalk anyone else on this entire planet than you of all people. But if your dumbass took a second to think, you’d realize that we live in the same dorm complex.” Jaebeom retorted with a dramatic roll of his eyes as Mark tugged himself out of his grasp.

Mark glanced down at the pavement, his heart still calming from the initial scare. He couldn't think straight when just moments prior he'd thought someone was trying to kidnap him. “I just… forgot.”

“Dumbass…” Jaebeom mumbled, pushing past Mark in the direction of their dorms.

Mark clicked his tongue and hurriedly followed, not because he necessarily  _ wanted  _ to walk with Jaebeom, but he  _ didn't  _ want to be left alone again. “Can you cool it with insults? Besides, I didn’t ask for company on the way home…”

“Well I didn’t ask either.”

Jaebeom looked back, glancing at Mark who was following him like a scared puppy. The small smirk the younger gave as a silent nod towards Mark’s current clinginess before turning back around made the elder flush red, hopefully not visible with the lack of lighting aside from street lamps.

"Whatever…" Mark clicked his tongue again, his eyes falling back down to the cement with the intent to hide and avoid anymore embarrassment. It wasn't his fault he was slightly afraid of walking by himself.

Luckily a bit of silence passed between the two, helping them move on from the moment.

“Can I ask you something?” Jaebeom had slowed his walking speed so he and Mark were now side by side as he interrupted the brief silence between them.

It was hard to predict what could come out of Jaebeom’s mouth. Sometimes it was straight up insults, other times it was round about ways of getting Mark to say something stupid so he could insult him; often, it just ended with something nasty being said, and Mark being on the recieving end of it. He's fallen for it enough times, and still falls for it, of course giving Jaebeom a kick out of his responses.

“Jaebeom, I’m tired of answering your annoying questions. You're just gonna ask me something to insult me again.” Mark grumbled, preparing to ignore the younger who would surely persist anyway.

“No dumbass, listen to the question.” Jaebeom retorted while flicking the side of Mark's head. He cleared his throat, gaze turning forward to focus on nothing in particular. “Who… is that guy?”

“What guy?”

“The guy who sometimes appears when we run into each other. He always stands up for you. Who is he?”

Jackson. Jackson always showed up, even when Mark assured him that he didn’t need him. He's a good friend nonetheless; overprotective, clingy, needy, and lazy at times; but one of Mark’s closest friends he’s ever made in college.

It was weird to hear Jaebeom asking about him. But Mark didn't think it was here nor there. “He’s a friend. You haven’t seen him around?”

“Of course I’ve seen him around. I don’t fucking like him, and I can tell he doesn’t like me too much either. But I was just curious…” Jaebeom shrugged, leaving it at that.

“He's just my friend." Mark assured. "You always call him my boyfriend, but that’s not the case.”

Jaebeom nodded, his fingers mindlessly fiddling with the multiple rings that adorned his strong-looking, veiny hands. “Right…”

“Why did you want to know?” Mark asked, though he was sure that the reasoning couldn't have been that important, he just wanted to distract himself from staring at Jaebeom’s hands.

The younger scoffed, shaking his head. “I’m just asking. I’m not allowed to ask questions?”

“It's just a weird question to ask, especially if you don't like him.” Mark mumbled.

“Look it's none of your business why I was asking, I just asked. Now leave it alone.” the other retorted, firmly ending that conversation there.

The walk went by faster than Mark even realized, as just moments later they were approaching the dorm complex. It was as if time flew by while speaking with Jaebeom for those few minutes, and an  _ actual _ conversation at that (though the usual insults were still thrown occasionally).

The dorm was built with an entrance for those on one side of the building, and a different entrance for those on the other, usually called the lefty and righty residences. Mark was a proud righty resident while Jaebeom was the opposite, meaning that he had to walk to the other side of the building to get to his dorm. It was an incredibly stupid design, but not everything in life had to be convenient.

Jaebeom immediately headed for around the building, leaving Mark there to enter alone.

He didn't know why, but Mark felt it necessary to at least greet him goodbye; just because Jaebeom lacked respectful mannerisms didn't mean he did too. "See you around Jaebeom, thanks for walking with me."

Jaebeom paused, looking over his shoulder. "A scrawny guy like you who's scared of his own shadow wouldn't have made it here safely all by himself."

"I'm not scrawny-"

"You're welcome."

Jaebeom continued walking, giving a small wave behind him before shoving his hands in his pocket.

Mark sighed, somehow finding their interaction amusing. He shook off the small chuckle that escaped him and headed inside to rest his tired brain and tired body for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

A week of staying late at the library left Mark curious about Jaebeom’s whereabouts. He claimed that he was there to study that night they had walked back to the dorms together, but Mark hasn’t seen him since.

Not that he cared too much about him, but he was just curious if the younger actually intended on studying, or was just being a creep and following Mark around. He bothered Mark so much that it felt obsessive, constantly nudging at him and pushing him around; even throwing papers at him in class as if they were back in middle school.

Seriously, it was about time that guy grew up.

Jaebeom’s lack of appearance in the library made Mark assume that he probably had just seen him walking into the building that day and decided to mess with him, which was typical of him. Just the thought of it made Mark shake his head; the guy really had nothing better to do with his time.

Today was no different from any of the other days; Mark had left his dorm late in the evening with a worried warning from Jackson to head off to the library to study. He did keep an eye out for any broad shouldered figure that looked like Jaebeom, but saw nothing but the occasional group of college students heading to their destinations. Hopefully he’d go another day with no run-ins with that guy; a perfect end to his long week.

Mark didn’t see any signs of his bully outside the library or anywhere inside, and he let out a breath of relief. He’d been enjoying his days of quietly studying in the evenings and only having to deal with Jaebeom during class in the early afternoons; which was still tiring, but it was much easier to handle than constant pestering.

He’d gotten through a good portion of his notes, not even noticing the time fly by. He had arrived in the library around 9 p.m. , and the next time he checked his phone, it was half past midnight. By then the library was pretty empty aside from a few other late night studiers scattered about the place. He figured he had spent more than enough time reviewing his math notes for the test he had approaching, and at the end of the day if he couldn’t remember those damn formulas, he'd just wing it and hope for a B.

The student wasn’t even aware of how tired he was until he stood to his feet, feeling a wave of fatigue hit him like a truck. That confirmed that it was about time to head back to his dorm so he could crash in his bed. Jackson would probably complain at him for losing track of time, but Jackson complains about everything, Mark was used to it.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and headed out the door into the brisk night, again having to brave the darkness that surrounded the campus. He marched down the street, eyes focused in front of him. He ignored the constant rustling of leaves and bushes around him, forcing himself not to freak out at every noise.

He was supposed to be tough and independent, what kind of guy with that appearance is scared of squirrels scurrying in the dark?

He kept his eyes on the sidewalk in front of him, trying his hardest not to look as if he were ready to break into a sprint for his dorm.

Though, maybe he should have looked up at least once so he could bypass the kid he had accidentally bumped arms.

Mark stumbled over his own feet, glancing back at the guy he’d bumped into who was accompanied by two other dudes. Their faces were hidden by the shadows and the hoods over their heads, not that he really cared much about what they looked like anyway.

“Where the fuck are you headed to so fast!? Watch where you’re going!” The guy yelled.

The loud voice was quite unnecessary, and though Mark had been initially startled by the group’s sudden appearance, he wasn't gonna let some random guy talk down to him like that. “Calm down, I just didn’t see you. Sorry.”

“You  _ better  _ be sorry!” the dude retorted, in which Mark completely lost the patience to deal with.

He’d heard similar lines from dealing with Jaebeom, none of it was new. Except this was just some guy trying to be tough with his posse to back him up; it was quite pathetic.

“Yeah, whatever.” Mark mumbled, deciding to just keep it moving.

He turned his back to the group and continued on down the sidewalk. 

Except, he had only made it a few steps before being yanked backwards by his bag. 

Mark stumbled back, coming face to face with the guy he had bumped into. Except, the guy was clever enough to keep his head down low enough to mask his face in the darkness.

“Apologize to me sincerely.” He sneered, his hand gripping onto the hood of Mark’s hoodie while someone else held onto him from behind.

Okay, he wasn’t scared of this dude, but three dudes ganging up on him put a slight worry in his chest. It was already an unfair fight.

“J-Just let me go, what the fuck is wrong with you?” Mark squirmed in their hold, trying to escape the tight grasps.

“Listen to the little bitch stutter. Ya scared?” Mark heard the initiator state, with snickers around him soon following.

“Let go!” Mark was now yelling, his arms flailing as he tried to tear himself out of their grasps. In the scuffle, Mark's fist connected with someone's face; some sort of bodily fluid ending up on his knuckles.

His eyes widened as he realized what he’d just done, knowing that this wasn’t gonna end well. 

It didn’t take long for a return fist to end up in his stomach, the impact taking the breath out of him.

“Fuck…” Mark couched out, collapsing to his knees after the first punch. He looked up at the face of his attacker, the hood over his head doing a good job of hiding his identity. Mark tried to get back to his feet; he was so thrown off by the sudden attack it was difficult to get his mind straight.

“Stay down bitch.” One of the other goons sneered while the others laughed at Mark's pathetic attempts to stand.

Mark glared at the multiple hooded figured, spitting out a “Fuck you.” in response.

“Shut the fuck up.” Was the last thing he heard before receiving a shoe in his stomach, the blow totally taking him down.

He collapsed to the ground, coughing more from the guttural impact. He felt another hit to his thigh, and another to his chest-- it took him a few moments to realize he was getting the shit beat out of him, and he did an awful job of defending himself.

He protected his head with his arms while the small group had a field day of kicking, punching, and slapping him in his surrendered state. He was too overpowered to try and retaliate, he couldn't even try to run since there were blows coming from every possible direction, he'd forgotten which was even up.

A hand slid over his pants, and Mark had little idea what it was doing, but it was highly uncomfortable to get fondled while also getting beat up. It wasn't long before he realized though, that the hand was searching his body for valuables, as it slid into his back pocket and yanked out his wallet, then went back to search the rest of his pockets. Mark didn't have much on him, just his phone and wallet; which was full of money, I.D. card, license, and debit card. So yeah, important and valuable items that he'll never see again.

He silently prayed that they won't take his phone so that if he ever possibly leaves this beating alive, he could at least call an ambulance to come get him. It was in his right pocket, and Mark purposely positioned himself to lay on his right side while at the same time trying to protect the important parts of his body from any serious damage his attackers could serve.

It felt like it had lasted longer than it actually did. Only a minute or so had passed with Mark cowering on the ground desperately hoping to be left alone and wondering how he'd get back to his dorm and explain to Jackson what happened. He knew the younger would be furious, and would increase his overprotectiveness by ten fold after this; Mark dreaded the concerned scolding he knew he'd get once he somehow made it back.

For a second, he wondered how much longer he'll have to suffer this beating, and was thoroughly ready to give in and beg for it to stop.

“Hey!” A stray voice in the distance yelled out, startling everyone, even Mark, who was just about ready to give up on himself. “Get the fuck out of here!”

"Fuck off and mind your business." One of the attackers replied, turning back to Mark to raid his pockets for more of his belongings.

"Stop!" The stray voice called again, and only then when he heard it from a slightly closer distance did Mark realize he recognized the voice. He slowly uncovered his head, seeing the backs of the people who were robbing him and the legs of someone else marching towards them. Immediately one person popped into his head-- but it couldn't be  _ him _ of all people to find Mark in this predicament. Despite it sounding like  _ him _ , it wouldn't be; Mark knew for sure  _ he  _ wouldn't help anyway.

He heard the impact of a fist hitting someone's face and the pained whimper that followed, and through his blurry vision, saw silhouettes of people fighting. Mark was much too wrecked to even try standing up, he felt searing pain everywhere; but he also felt a bit useless just laying there watching it all play out. The dudes who had been beating him up were trying to take down his savior, but were tired out quickly and easily gave up after a few punches here and there. All they wanted was valuables anyway, not to fight anyone.

“Fuck off!” The person who saved him yelled as the group ran away while throwing up middle fingers and waving Mark's wallet around as if it were a trophy. He clicked his tongue, throwing his own middle finger back before turning to Mark. He quickly approached, kneeling down with a hand hovering over Mark's body as if he wanted to touch, but didn't want to hurt him any further. “You okay?”

Mark let out a slew of curses in his head, some accidentally slipping out of his mouth. He seriously couldn't get away from this guy, could he? Hearing his voice up close, Mark knew it was foolish to doubt it any longer; it definitely was Jaebeom who came to his rescue. And for what? To tease him for getting beat up and to steal from him too?

“Get away from me.” Mark groaned, turning away from Jaebeom in refusal to even look at him.

Jaebeom reached out and gently gripped Mark's arm, the elder shaking him off. The last thing he needed was Jaebeom to add on to the wounds and pain he already had, he'd been harmed enough and needed no one else's hands on him. The exchange gradually turned into mini wrestling as the younger tried to grab Mark and the elder pushed him away, that was, until Jaebeom finally had Mark's wrists pinned to the ground. “Stop fighting me fucker, I’m helping you.”

“You’re just gonna steal my shit like they did. I have nothing on me Jaebeom. They took everything.” Mark spat, fidgeting with frustration as he tried to squirm out of Jaebeom's strong grasp. He'd never felt so weak before in his whole life-- getting mercilessly beaten up and then pinned down to the ground despite him trying so hard to defend himself didn't exactly leave him with the utmost self esteem.

“Yeah,  _ and _ they beat your ass." Jaebeom grumbled, sliding an arm under Mark's body to help him up once the elder had stopped fighting him. Mark winced and stumbled as he got to his feet, relying mostly on Jaebeom to hold the majority of his weight. "You can barely walk, so shut the fuck up and let me help.”

Once Mark got into a weird rhythm of limping and walking, Jaebeom led them down the sidewalk back toward the dorms. Mark could barely breathe half the time, most likely due to the nosebleed that suddenly started and ruined his shirt. It hurt to breathe anyway, so he tried doing it as little as possible. They didn't talk much during the walk, there wasn't really much to say. Jaebeom quietly helped him and Mark quietly allowed him to, which was probably the best for them both since whenever they spoke to one another it was usually aggressive and disrespectful. 

Once they entered the dorm's gates, Mark had expected Jaebeom to leave him there to get to his room by himself. Instead, he was directed to the opposite side of the building, where Jaebeom lived. Mark only realized he was going to Jaebeom's dorm when they approached the opposite entrance and the elder took out his school ID to unlock the door. He didn't really look forward to being in Jaebeom's room since he wanted to go back to his own more than anything, but he was quite out of it and didn't feel like arguing at the moment, ultimately deciding to keep his mouth shut and go along with it.

Jaebeom lived on the third floor of the 5 story building; they took an elevator up rather than the stairs due to Mark's condition. They approached a door that looked just like Mark's dorm room entrance-- all of the doors looked the same of course-- and Jaebeom pulled a key out of his pocket to unlock it.

Mark expected a lot worse when entering Jaebeom's room. He thought there would be a weird smell; instead there was a leftover hint of vanilla incense that had been burned hours ago. He also expected a roommate, but the place was empty aside from them. Overall, it just looked like anyone else's dorm, nothing incredibly special.

“Sit.” was the first word Jaebeom said as they entered the place, gently guiding Mark to the couch. The hand he had on the elder's lower back that carefully helped him down sent a chill through him-- since when was Jaebeom so careful?

“Well I can’t really do anything else, can I…” Mark muttered while Jaebeom disappeared into the kitchen. The dorms in this complex had everything one needed in each room, which made living on campus ten times more expensive, but a lot of them had scholarship money to cover at least half of the bill.

“Are you just gonna complain? After I saved you?” the younger asked.

Mark scoffed; did he think he was some type of hero or something? “Save me? I could’ve handled myself without you.”

“You were cowered on the floor with those fuckers kicking you. If I hadn’t come to your rescue, you would’ve been left there until morning.” Jaebeom retorted, the sound of some pots and pans filling the otherwise quiet space.

“Don’t be dramatic. I would be fine.” Mark assured, though he honestly did have the brief thought that his end was near while those guys were jumping him. He wasn't normally the type to give up so easily, but three against one was too much to take on.

At least for him it was; for Jaebeom, it seemed easy.

"Sure, you would be fine crawling your way back to the dorms.” Mark jolted as Jaebeom's voice came from close behind him, his head whipping around to the younger who was standing just behind the couch holding a mug. He held it out towards the other, the unknown substance steaming in the cup. “Just drink.”

Mark huffed, folding his arms over his chest. “What if you poisoned it?"

“Drink it dumbass.” Jaebeom repeated with the roll of his eyes. He slowly handed it to Mark who was hesitant to even touch it, backing away slowly once the elder had it safely in his hands. "Be careful, it's hot."

Jaebeom then disappeared again, leaving Mark to taste the warm drink on his own. It was tea. Jaebeom had made him tea, or gave him tea he'd prepared earlier and just warmed it for him. Either way, it was weird as hell to be taking something as nice as tea from someone as mean as Jaebeom. It threw Mark off. Way off. 

Mark took the time to take a better look around the place. It looked exactly like his own dorm, but the only difference was the impeccably clean surroundings and nice decorations. The furniture he had to have bought with his own money was nice and modern, and the walls were decorated with gorgeous paintings that gave the dorm an overall apartment feel. It was cozy, like home, and well kept. Way better kept than Mark and Jackson's place, and there were two of them living there.

Mark couldn't tell if Jaebeom had a roommate; he did hear that a few students transferred out leaving some alone in their dorms, maybe Jaebeom was one of those kids and luckily had a whole room to himself. Either way, Mark got a good sense of his interests and style just from sitting in his small living space, which quite shocked him since his rough personality didn't match the elegant decor at all.

Mark heard footsteps returning along the ugly linoleum floor (that surely Jaebeom would've changed if he were allowed to since it didn't match the modern home look that the rest of the dorm had) with a first aid kit in hand. It was quite a big box with a gigantic red plus sign on it, screaming medical care just from its outward appearance.

Jaebeom's eyes were focused on Mark, particularly his beat up features that looked awfully discolored and slightly swollen. “You look terrible. They fucked up your face pretty bad.”

Mark rolled his eyes, partially because of Jaebeom's harsh assessment of his condition, and partially because he thought he'd done a good job of protecting his face while getting knocked around, but apparently didn't. “Thanks for letting me know I look uglier than I already was.”

“You’re not ugly.” The younger mumbled as he sat on the coffee table in front of Mark and opened the first aid kit. He seemed to startle himself with the fast and honest reply, only realizing what he said a few long moments  _ after _ he'd said it. Jaebeom paused momentarily before clearing his throat and clarifying himself. “I mean, not with the bruises. Though you somehow look better with cuts and scrapes all over your face.”

Mark himself was taken aback, for a second believing that Jaebeom had meant to say something somewhat nice. He felt foolish for thinking it, of course he wouldn't say anything like that just for the sake of saying it. “I can’t believe I thought you were actually complimenting me for a sec…”

“I would never.” Jaebeom replied with strong surety. He had pressed a small cotton pad to the mouth of a rubbing alcohol bottle, dampening it with the substance. 

Mark instinctively leaned back as Jaebeom scooted closer, the younger forcibly pulling him close by the wrist as his hand approached the elder's face. He gently patted Mark's cut cheek with the cotton pad, clicking his tongue at the blood that seeped into the cotton.

“Ow-” Mark winced, jolting back from the stinging pain the alcohol brought to his cheek.

“Don’t move dumbass.” Jaebeom grumbled, his hand moving from Mark's wrist to the side of his neck to hold him still.

Mark figured that if he tried moving again he'd be choked to death, which was incentive enough to keep himself as still as possible. “That’s your favorite one, huh.”

“What?”

“Your favorite insult. You say dumbass the most, but sometimes you say shithead, or simply settle for bitch.”

“Well, I can’t help that you’re a dumbass shithead bitch.”

Mark actually chuckled at that, rolling his eyes at the ridiculous response. “Thanks, that totally boosts my self esteem.”

Jaebeom finished cleaning up Mark's face that wasn't all to messed up once all the blood was gone. He even wiped up as much of the mess from the nosebleed as he could, though Mark's clothing still held evidence of it that would have to be washed a dozen times if he ever dreamed of getting rid of it. Jaebeom pulled back, setting the dirty cotton pad aside as he pulled out a new one to coat with alcohol while his eyes scanned Mark's body for any more cuts to clean. 

It felt weird being inspected by him, Mark felt like he was naked and the younger was judging his body. He shifted on the couch cushion, drawing his eyes elsewhere to avoid himself from blushing with embarrassment. As he moved, he felt a sharp pain in his side that made him keel over, hissing and grabbing the aching area over his ribs.

Jaebeom jolted up, gently supporting Mark with a hand on his back and another on his shoulder. “What? What’s wrong?”

“My rib or something hurts…” Mark groaned out, biting hard on his bottom lip as Jaebeom guided him to sit up so he could take a look at it.

“They probably bruised you there.” Jaebeom replied while now squatting between Mark's knees, reaching back for something in the open first aid kit on the coffee table. He grabbed some sort of cream in one hand while the other reached for Mark's hoodie, fingers gripping at the thick fabric in an attempt to expose what was underneath.

Mark immediately tensed, instinctively slapping Jaebeom's hand away. “Stop! What are you doing?”

“Relax! I’m putting cream on it, it’ll help with the healing and soothe the pain.” Jaebeom explained, obviously annoyed by the elder's interruptions. He quickly lifted Mark's shirt, eyes focused on the large blue-purple bruise that adorned his otherwise porcelain skin while squirting some cream into his palm. “Just let me take care of you… dumbass.”

Mark slowly relaxed, allowing Jaebeom to do as he pleased. It was odd for them to be this cooperative with one another, and even more odd for Jaebeom's hand to be roaming the skin hidden under his shirt. But the younger was actually being nice, despite his still sharp tongue, he genuinely wanted to take care of Mark, which was just  _ weird _ . The elder appreciated it, and definitely liked this calm and caring side of Jaebeom much more than the nasty bully, but it just felt so unnaturally natural that Mark couldn't fully wrap his head around it.

“Do you fight a lot?” he blurted out in order to make conversation to keep his mind off of how weirdly comfortable he felt with Jaebeom taking care of him. He did genuinely wonder about the answer though, since Jaebeom just seemed like the aggressive type, and the amount of first aid supplies he had stored in his place was quite concerning.

Jaebeom shrugged while further lifting Mark's shirt to take care of other bruises that decorated his skin. “I used to. Why?”

“You just… have everything you need here for wounds. I thought you were either incredibly clumsy, or you like fighting.” Mark replied. He tensed again as Jaebeom applied a fresh coat of cold cream to a different wound, shuddering under the delicate touch of his fingers along his bare waist.

“Fighting got me into a lot of trouble, so I stopped.” The younger explained.

Mark nodded slowly. “So instead you bully people then.”

Jaebeom stayed silent, leaving Mark's question unanswered. Mark looked down at the younger, only realizing that he'd been avoiding Jaebeom's gaze out of habit. He instantly regretted it once he saw Jaebeom’s concentrated face solely focused on massaging the cream into his skin; he'd never had Jaebeom so close to him before without being manhandled. The younger had his own small cut adorning his face, which made Mark feel bad for having him dragged into the middle of the altercation. It was Jaebeom's choice though to get involved, he shouldn't feel bad about it. Nor should he want to dress Jaebeom's wound like the younger was doing for him as a repayment for his troubles. The thought was quickly pushed out of his mind.

The other male must've felt Mark's eyes on him; he glanced up at him just moments after, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before both bashfully looked away. Mark avoided staring at him again; he didn't necessarily like the odd feeling he got in his chest when locking eyes from such an intimate distance. He focused his gaze elsewhere, deciding to look at Jaebeom's arm instead, which was also bruised from the fight.

“...Sorry.” the younger suddenly mumbled after a long spell of silence.

Mark blinked, looking back over at Jaebeom with furrowed brows. “What?”

“I said sorry. I’m not saying it again.” Jaebeom grumbled out.

It was a surprise in itself to hear that word come from him. Mark loved to know exactly what he did to deserve such a miracle. “For what?”

Jaebeom sighed, shaking his head. He pulled away from Mark to clean up the first aid supplies, having taken care of all the visible wounds he could find. "For… not coming to your help sooner. I saw you walking and I thought about joining you, but I decided not to; then, just minutes later I heard them attack you. I hesitated to help, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten hurt so bad if I jumped in sooner.”

Mark could actually hear the disappointment and regret in his voice. Jaebeom was stocked full of surprises, nearly every humane thing he did took Mark totally by surprise. All this time he'd known him as an emotionless dick that feeds off of other people's suffering, but now… it was hard to paint him that way with all that happened that night.

“Jaebeom….don’t worry about it. It’s not your fault. I should be saying thank you, actually. You didn’t have to help me, I was surprised to see you.”

Jaebeom shrugged, and if Mark wasn't mistaken, he surely saw flushed red cheeks trying to be hidden in the dim dorm lighting. “Well, I do hate you. But the only person who's allowed to beat your ass to a pulp is me. And besides, I don’t steal. I just push you around a bit.”

Mark scoffled, rolling his eyes with the hint of a smirk tugging at his lips. “Wow thanks. And I thought we were having a little change-of-heart moment just now.”

The younger quickly shook his head, shoving Mark's shoulder so gently, as if he would break under the gust of a light wind. “Absolutely not. I’m just helping you because… I feel bad. But it doesn’t mean anything, got it?"

“Sure, Whatever you say…” the other male replied with the roll of his eyes.

Jaebum stood to his feet, looking down at Mark through his dark chocolate eyes, slight concern still dancing in his gaze as he quietly examined Mark again. “You okay now?”

Mark hummed and nodded. Many parts of his body still ached, it would take a while to heal up properly, but aside from that he was pretty sure he would live. “Yeah… I think I can get back to my dorm.”

“Hell no.”

“Why not?”

“You live on the other side of the complex, and the dudes who jumped you could be students here that are just waiting for their next victim. I’m not letting you go out just to be attacked again.”

Marks brows furrowed, a frustrated click of his tongue escaping him out of habit. “God, why does everyone think I’m such a pushover? I can handle myself.”

He quickly rose to his feet, planning on proving how little assistance he needed, especially not from Jaebeom. But his efforts were in vain, as the quick transition from sitting to standing made him dizzy, along with the sharp pain in his side that knocked him completely off his balance. He stumbled, putting his arms out to brace for the impact of the floor, only to feel a strong arm quickly wrap around his waist, stabilizing his totally unsteady body.

“You can barely make it to the door on your own two feet.” Jaebeom clicked his tongue, curling his arm around tighter the elder's waist and another behind his knees to lift him up princess-style. Mark gasped in shock, frantically throwing his arms around Jaebeom's neck as he was carried deeper into the dorm. 

“Stop! Let me go!” Mark squealed as he was carefully brought to the bedroom in the back of the dorm, squirming and slapping Jaebeom's shoulder the entire time.

Jaebeom was like a sturdy tree though, totally unfazed by the near tantrum Mark threw in his arms. He turned on the light with his elbow then brought Mark to the bed, softly setting him down upon the cushion-y mattress. He then turned to a nearby drawer and dug into its contents, pulling out a white t-shirt and gym shorts.

“Put those on, then lay down and sleep.” Jaebeom ordered, throwing the clothes at Mark's face.

Mark tugged the clothes into his lap, immediately shaking his head while looking down at them. “No, Jaebeom I can go back to-“

“Shut the fuck up. Sleep.”

Jaebeom gave Mark a serious look, almost daring him to refuse again. He then turned to leave, headed back out into his small living area.

Mark watched him head towards the door, feeling the need to say something to acknowledge him before he left. “...thank you.”

Jaebeom paused, his fingers resting on the light switch. He glanced back at Mark, gently chewing on his bottom lip before quickly turning away. 

“Whatever.” he replied, flicking off the light and shutting the door behind him.

Mark felt weird switching into someone else's clothes-- especially Jaebeom's of all people-- but they fit him just how he liked, oversized and baggy. It was also startlingly easy to fall asleep in that bed, and only for a moment did the thought that Jaebeom slept here too pass through his mind. It was weird to think about. It was more weird to realize that the entire room  _ smelled _ like Jaebeom. Since when did he realize Jaebeom had a smell? A masculine yet sweet sort of aroma that was so familiar yet so foreign at the same time. 

That night had just been a weird night for the both of them. Mark somewhat wanted to forget the events, but he also wanted to remember this. The one time he got to see the softer side of Jaebeom. Totally raw and rare, probably never to be seen again. He was grateful to that side of him for that night; for taking care of him, cleaning him up, giving him a comfortable place to sleep; Mark had a whole different opinion about this guy now.

Because of Jaebeom, Mark ended up sleeping soundly in the warmth of his bed engulfed in the younger's natural scent, finding an unnerving amount of comfort in being there despite his relationship with the bully prior. But, how could he still think of Jaebeom as such an awful person, when he's already seen a way more appealing side of him?

Mark was now more curious about that man than he'd ever been. What else could Jaebeom be masking behind that hard, aggressive exterior?


	4. Chapter 4

Mark's lids slowly slid open, his vision clearing to a familiar yet unfamiliar setting. It looked just like his own bedroom, but didn't because everything inside the room was different. None of the furniture was his, the bed wasn't his either. It took him to try sitting up and wincing at the deep ache in his side to remember exactly where he was and how he ended up there the night before.

Jaebeom mostly plagued his memory. He did remember walking alone, getting jumped, and being robbed; but Jaebeom saving him, taking him to his dorm, caring for him, and putting him to bed was what he remembered more. The actual assault he endured was second in his mind, most likely due to the fact that Mark was currently in Jaebeom's bedroom that smelled so much like him. 

Why the hell did he keep noticing his smell?

Taking his mind off of Jaebeom and focusing on pulling himself out of bed was what Mark tried to do, but was pretty difficult when in a room that was full of Jaebeom. He forgot he was wearing that man's clothes too, so when he got to his feet and looked down, he couldn't help but cringe at himself.

It would most likely do him good to leave as fast as he could. Jaebeom was nice to him before, but it didn't mean he was still obligated to be now. The younger probably wanted nothing more than for Mark to leave after all the trouble he'd been put through-- Mark had to remember to sincerely thank him again for that.

He exited the bedroom and quietly creeped down the hall, looking around for Jaebeom who he hadn't seen since the night before. He entered the small living space, not needing to look much further as he spotted a large lump on the couch. He suddenly felt bad, realizing that Jaebeom had spent the night sleeping on a couch instead of his own comfy mattress that he instead gave up to Mark. Yet another selfless act added to the rapidly growing list performed by the younger.

Mark shuffled over toward the couch, standing behind it and leaning slightly over. Jaebeom laid on his back, arms crossed over his chest and legs crossed on the arm of the chair, his chest rising and falling slowly as he slept. It was odd to see him so peaceful, yet calming in a way. Mark wasn't used to thinking this way about him, but seeing his serene face in the sunlight that seeped through the windows and illuminated his normally sharp features to look soft as ever showed him Jaebeom in a way that wasn't all that scary and intimidating. Instead, it was more of a handsome, almost prince-like aura he got, especially with the way his smooth skin glowed. Dare he say, cute, even.

The urge to touch the soft dark brown hair that hung over Jaebeom's forehead rushed through Mark, leaving just as fast as it came. He scolded himself for having such a desire-- the hell was wrong with him? This was Im Jaebeom, the same guy who had him pinned to a wall just days before after throwing his bag and books to the ground. He'd break Mark's fingers for even attempting to touch any part of him. 

Though, his gentleness from the night before was so startling, and Mark felt safe with him; like they weren't enemies but maybe… alliances? Friends, even?

It was ridiculous to even think about. Why he felt so mixed up over it, Mark didn't know. It was only one night; one long, eventful night that left them both exhausted and battered. He should just forget about it and move on with his life.

“What are you looking at, creep?”

Mark jolted at the voice that emanated from under him, his eyes trailing up Jaebeom's face to the brown orbs staring back at him. He had been so lost in thought that he didn't even realize Jaebeom had woken up; maybe he stared too long or something. He swallowed thickly as he locked gazes with the chocolate brown irises that had judgement written all over them. “I-I just… woke up…”

Jaebeom frowned, rolling his eyes at the response. “So you come and stare at me? Fucking weirdo.” he turned on his side, facing away from Mark, seemingly with the intention to ignore him.

Mark wasn't fond of being ignored, especially by someone who constantly ignored his pleads to end the constant roughhousing and insults. “You know, you’re pretty kind for someone who apparently hates me.”

“Shut up.”

The elder chuckled, finding Jaebeom's early morning feistiness kind of cute. Cute? That was the second time the word passed through Mark's mind, both times pertaining to Jaebeom. Jaebeom wasn't cute; he just wasn't. Or… maybe he was  _ sometimes _ . 

Mark was conflicted.

He had to get out of there, his mind was doing weird things, leaving him with weird thoughts in his head. He'd spent a lot more time with Jaebeom than he had ever anticipated; it was probably time to get out of his hair before bully Jaebeom returned. “Alright then, I’ll head out.”

At that Jaebeom quickly sprung upright, giving Mark a look that had 'are you crazy?' written all over it. “Wait, why?”

Mark shrugged, taking a step or two back to leave some distance between their locked gazes. “Well, I don’t want to burden you with my presence anymore. I’ll be out of your hair once I change back into my clothes.”

Mark turned on his heels to quickly retrieve his clothes and go, hearing rapid footsteps not too far behind him.

“No wait…”

Mark froze, slowly turning back toward the owner of the now incredibly soft voice. He'd never heard Jaebeom speak that way. Ever. This had to be some sort of trick; Jaebeom was playing with him and would be back to insulting him at any moment, that had to be it.

It was hard to even watch his slightly bashful side show; Mark felt his chest warm as Jaebeom fiddled with his fingers while staring down at the floor. Who the  _ hell _ was this guy, and what did he do with his bully?

“You… need breakfast. I’ll make it.” Jaebeom quickly announced, already volunteering himself while heading for the open kitchen.

Mark was nearly speechless. He was filled with utter shock and confusion as he watched Jaebeom diligently begin to set out ingredients and pans to cook with, honestly wondering if this was the same guy he'd known for all this time. “N-No Jaebeom, you’ve done enough, it’s okay...”

“Sit the fuck down and just wait until I’m done.” the younger snapped.

So, it  _ was _ the same guy. Just, his other side seemed to be coming out and showing itself a bit more. The nice, caring, selfless, Jaebeom was really twisting up Mark's preconceived thoughts on the man, and only did he remember that they were the same person when the old mean rude Jaebeom showed back up occasionally. 

It was almost like Jaebeom had two different personalities. Or maybe… he just grew softer with Mark? That couldn't be it though, as far as anyone who's seen him with Mark would know, he hated the elder. Or at least  _ acted _ like he did. Yet all of the things he did for Mark opposed that assumption. Mark swore he was hated up, down and sideways by this guy, yet here he was in the middle of his dorm getting fed and taken care of.

It was weird. Very weird.

But Mark entertained Jaebeom's desires and allowed him to cook a meal. He sat down and waited quietly at a small wooden table with just two chairs across from one another, watching Jaebeom’s broad back as it moved about the kitchen. It felt a bit odd, but he couldn't complain; not when his bully was doing something so generous for him.

Jaebeom eventually arrived at the table with a full plate of food. Mark’s eyes widened as the plate was set in front of him along with some utensils, all of it made just for him. It looked good too; Mark didn’t know what to expect, especially from Jaeeom who totally didn’t seem like the cooking type, yet he was pleasantly surprised by the appetizing plate before him. Jaebeom didn’t even have his own plate, he just sat across from Mark and stared at him, waiting for the elder to dig in.

“So, you cook?” Mark asked, the shock in his tone too obvious to be ignored.

Jaebeom shrugged as he settled in his seat across from the elder. “...a little.”

Mark nodded, too in awe to eat the delicious plate of food before him. “That’s actually really cool.”

“...Really?” Jaebeom asked in what sounded like disbelief. He seemed to get a bit excited from the compliment, until he realized it, then cleared his throat and put back on his signature poker face. “I mean, I know it’s cool, since your food probably tastes like shit.” 

For a second there, before the insult, Mark saw a little glimpse of happiness, and the smile on Jaebeom’s face showed that he liked the compliment. The smile itself was a shock; Mark swore he had to be in a parallel universe or something; it was difficult to get used to this Jaebeom. He wondered for a brief moment how often Jaebeom was complimented on anything, considering how happy he looked to receive one.

“Well, I’m glad I didn’t make breakfast then. We can eat your good food.” Mark stated, flashing a smile right back at the younger as he picked up his utensil to dig in.

“Eat well.” Jaebeom mumbled as he leaned forward and watched Mark take a bite.

“Oh, so you care about my health?” Mark asked, his eyes widening yet again at the flavor that hit his tongue. So, Jaebeom was pretty good at cooking; yet another thing he had no idea about. 

In the meantime Jaebeom was stuttering over his reply, his face flushing pink just a bit as his eyes darted away from Mark for a few seconds. “N-No I just… I didn’t make the food for you to waste. Just eat.”

Mark chuckled, deciding to take another bite than fluster Jaebeom anymore. Seeing Jaebeom’s big bad bully facade break for the first time was quite amusing though, and Mark found himself more intrigued. He was curious of what else Jaebeom was hiding under his bad boy exterior, and how many other people knew about the  _ real  _ him.

It couldn't have been many, since Jaebeom acted like an asshole a lot of the time, even with his friends. Sure that was how friends joked around sometimes, but Mark had a feeling that Jaebeom didn’t exactly fit in with the people he hung out with. Mark had no idea exactly  _ where _ he fit in, which is what made him stand out and heightened the elder's curiosity.

Mark thoroughly enjoyed his meal, not even realizing how hungry he was until nearly every bit of food was gone. Jaebeom sat with him the entire time, drinking some freshly made tea and staring at the elder occasionally. Mark caught on to a lot of his staring that Jaebeom tried to hide, but he didn’t point it out since the younger seemed embarrassed enough as it was.

Even when Mark finished Jaebeom didn’t allow him to lift a finger, cleaning up his dirty dishes for him and making sure he’s had enough to eat. It was quite thoughtful of him.

“You can shower before leaving. Smell like shit.” Jaebeom stated, always having to throw in an insult here and there to keep up the careless attitude he usually has.

Mark didn’t take it seriously though, instead he found it quite amusing. Cute, even.

...That was the third time the word ‘cute’ floated through his mind. 

Maybe getting jumped and ending up in Jaebeom's dorm wasn’t exactly as unlucky as Mark had originally thought it was.

“Okay, I will.” The elder agreed, feeling Jaebeom’s attentive eyes on him as he stood up and headed to the bathroom. At this point, there was no denying that Jaebeom cared about him to a certain extent; Mark had no idea exactly how much he cared, but it was enough to feel Jaebeom's nicer side in action.

And he wanted to know more.

He thought about it as he showered, wondering if this was a one-time deal or if this “nicer Jaebeom” would be the new normal. It was easy to tell that Jaebeom still held in a lot of information about himself, but just from the few hours Mark had spent with him, he was sure that there was much more to uncover than what was shown at surface value.

Jaebeom watched as Mark gathered himself together after his shower and prepared to head back to his dorm. He didn't have much, considering practically everything he owned was stolen the night before, so it didn't take long at all for the time for him to leave to arrive.

Though, a small part of him wanted to stay a bit longer since he was so intrigued by this new side of Jaebeom. That would be overstaying his welcome though, and surely Jaebeom probably didn't want him over longer than needed.

“Thanks a lot Jaebeom. Seriously.” Mark stated as he walked toward the door, the younger following after him almost like a puppy 

Jaebeom's hands were stuck in the pockets of his sweatpants, shoulders shrugging flippantly in response. “Yeah, whatever…”

Mark set a hand on the doorknob, glancing back at Jaebeom with a smile. “I’ll remember this. I owe you one.”

The younger's gaze immediately darted away from Mark's, finding somewhere else in the dorm to look “...Nah, it’s okay. Just… be safe, okay?”

As much as Jaebeom tried to mask his caring nature, it was plain and obvious especially to someone like Mark who's only experienced his rude and annoying nature. He couldn't help but chuckle; Jaebeom was quite clearly embarrassed of himself, and Mark found it amusing.

“I will.” he promised as he turned the knob, opening the wooden door and stepping out into the hallway.

He made it halfway down the hall when he decided to look back, noticing Jaebeom's head poking out of his dorm room. The head suddenly disappeared back into the room as soon as Mark caught a glimpse of it, the slam of a door following.

Mark shook his head, a smile on his face as he turned around and continued toward the stairwell.

As he walked toward his side of the dorm complex, he pulled out his phone that's screen had been shattered in the scuffle, but was still usable. He hadn't looked at the device since the night before, and Jaebeom had charged it up for him while he was asleep.

Dozens of dozens of missed call notifications from Jackson popped up on the screen, along with dozens of texts as well. All of the texts were about Mark's whereabouts, starting from calm 'hey u on ur way home?' and quickly morphing into 'MARK TUAN ITS BEEN HOURS CALL ME'. Jackson was the type to freak out even if Mark was just five minutes late, so he hoped the elder didn't blow his absence last night out of proportion. 

But then again, Mark did go missing without a trace for hours upon hours; Jackson would be rightfully pissed. He quickly sent a text that he'd be back in a minute, hoping that it would calm the younger down.

Mark was surprised that their dorm hadn't been turned into a crime scene yet as he approached the room. He'd lost his keys last night and would need a replacement, so sneaking past Jackson wasn't an option since he had to knock on his own door. Hopefully Jackson wouldn't murder him.

The door was clicking open within mere seconds of Mark knocking. He was faced with his red-eyed and bedheaded roommate who yelped in surprised relief at his return.

“Mark!” Jackson squealed while lunging at the elder and pulling him into a tight hug. “Jesus, I was about to file a missing person report, I didn't know what else to do. You were gone for hours and I texted you and called-- why the hell did you not respond?”

“Phone was dead until this morning. Sorry about that.” Mark replied with a light chuckle to try and play it off.

Obviously Jackson wasn't having it, as he tightly gripped the elder's arm and dragged him into the dorm. He slammed the door behind him, standing hands on hip like a mother about to scold her unruly son. "Where the hell were you? I was worried sick! And what the fuck happened to your face? You look awful!”

Mark tugged at his sleeve, eyes falling to the floor. He did consider lying, but Jackson would be able to tell he was; besides, Mark couldn't lie to save his life. “I um… I got jumped…”

Jackson's eyes widened; he quickly rushed over and cradled Mark's face, examining the wounds and bruises that decorated him. “Oh my god, are you alright? How bad are you hurt? Do I need to take you to the hospital?”

“No, Jackson I’m fine, really.” The elder gently pushed Jackson's hands away, only for the younger to ignore it and continue to examine him.

“Who did it? Was it that fucker that always bothers you? I swear I’ll fucking throttle him next time I see him…”

Mark shook his head, gripping Jackson's frantic wrists. “No, no, actually, it wasn’t him this time. Some random kids who took my wallet. Had only around 15 bucks in there anyway.”

A frown of pity settled on Jackson's face. He looked at Mark as if he were an abused kitten. “Oh Mark, I’m so sorry, if I hadn’t known where you were I could’ve helped…”

“No, don’t worry about it. I actually did get help. I got jumped last night, but… Jaebeom came and saved me…”

Mark's early turned slightly pinker as he remembered back to the night before. Jaebeom could have left him there and ignored him, allowed him to get his ass beat and left until he somehow found help; but he did the total opposite. He protected him. Mark was surely in debt to him for all he's done.

Jackson on the other hand, was in total disbelief. “Wait… the guy who bullies you and pushes you around?  _ He _ saved you? Is that who you were with all night?”

Mark nodded, not even realizing he was smiling as he spoke. “I know, unbelievable right? But yeah, I stayed at his place for the night. He cleaned me up, fed me, took good care of me. Even though he was still kinda mean the entire time.”

Jackson scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “...I don’t know who to slap first, him or you.”

That wasn't exactly the reaction Mark expected considering how well Jaebeom had taken care of him. He frowned at the younger's response, confused as to why he seemed more pissed than relieved. “What? Why?”

Jackson clicked his tongue. “He’s taking advantage of you. He’s being all nice and sweet just so you think you and him could possibly get along, then he’s gonna fuck you over and betray you. Don’t trust him, and don’t ever be alone with him again.”

Jaebeom? Trick him and betray him? Firstly, Mark knew Jaebeom wasn't even smart enough to think about all that. At least, he didn't show that he was. Nor did the younger seem to have any ulterior motives during the time they were together. He seemed to genuinely want to help Mark, and Mark felt like he was cared for way more than he expected to be.

Mark wasn't super close with Jaebeom or anything, but he refused to believe that all that happened last night and earlier that morning was all just a ruse that Jaebeom used to get something he wanted.

“Jackson, you can’t tell me who to hang out with. He was actually really caring, and I appreciate him helping me. I mean, I could still be laying out there on the ground if it weren’t for him.”

The younger sighed, shifting his weight between his legs. “I know but, I just don’t like that guy. Isn’t it weird that he suddenly wants to help you and treat you nice after bullying you for so long?”

That part had caught Mark off guard too but, maybe he just had the wrong impression of Jaebeom all this time. Or maybe something changed; maybe  _ Jaebeom _ was changing. He wasn't sure, but he didn't want to make crazy assumptions again, he'd rather find out exactly who Jaebeom was for himself. 

“I guess so… but still, you have to give him credit, he helped me out, and I owe him for it.” Mark replied while turning to head back to his room.

Jackson shook his head in disapproval. “I don’t like this… just be careful around him, okay?”

“Jackson I’ll be fine." Mark assured,waving away the elder's concern as he left the room.

Jackson just didn't understand Jaebeom, and quite frankly, Mark still didn't either. But what he's seen over the past few hours proved that there was more to understand about him than just his awful actions and attitude. Mark didn't know how their relationship would evolve from now, but he was surely interested in keeping an eye on his bully.

Later that night, Mark went to sleep with weird dreams of being in Jaebeom’s strong arms, the slightly bigger male protecting him from everything as he rested peacefully against his chest. It startled him; having such a dream about someone who at one point he wanted nothing to do with; so much so that Mark woke up in the middle of the night, wide-eyed at the startling feeling he had blooming in his chest for the bully he once hated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the super late update, I'm disappointed in myself too because I've had this chapter mostly written for a while and i just needed to finish it off but i got really lazy lol. Anyway, more progress with Jaebeom, yay! ^^


	5. Chapter 5

Mark had risen early to wake Jackson so they could be up and ready for their respective morning classes. He was still a bit shaken up by the attack the other night, but his wounds were already healing, and thoughts of Jaebeom were more prevalent in his head anyway.

He didn’t know why these thoughts suddenly sprouted in his head-- he was sure it had something to do with the fact that he’d been introduced to a whole different side of Jaebeom that he’s never seen before, which also had to influence his dream that the mere reminder of made his heart feel all types of weird.

It was honestly weird to wake up and deal with the realization that he’d just dreamed about being safely in his bully’s arms; it’s not really everyday that people have anything but nightmares about the people who pester them.

He was definitely intrigued by Jaebeom though, and definitely wanted to learn more about him; but he never expected that one night could change his entire outlook on the man he’s been constantly avoiding and despising for years.

“Mark, what are you doing?”

Mark quickly blinked out of his thoughts, turning away from the running bathroom sink with a toothbrush in his mouth toward his roommate who stood in the open doorway.

“You complain about me being a heavy sleeper yet take forever to get ready. Stop wasting water and hurry up.” Jackson complained, purely using the opportunity to complain at Mark about something as he always did as payback for interrupting his sleep.

Mark let out a sigh, doing his best to push his thoughts of Jaebeom aside as he finished brushing his teeth.

He couldn’t avoid that man forever though, especially not with Jackson around who was still wary of his bully despite what Mark had told him. It was for a good reason though, in all honesty, Mark was still wary of him too. Jaebeom had shown him his softer side that night, but that didn’t mean it would be here to stay forever.

“I still can't believe you stayed with your tormenter that night… and how are you even still able to go to school? In my opinion you should still be resting, you were beat up pretty bad.” Jackson nagged halfway through their walk to school.

“Please, I’m fine. You think I'm just frail skin and bones but I can take a few punches here and there.” Mark replied with a lax shrug.

“A few punches doesn’t mean three dudes and a bully ganging up on you.” The younger retorted.

Mark scoffed at the younger’s unchanged mindset. “Jackson I told you, Jaebeom treated me fine the other night. He saved me. I owe him one.”

“Yeah and he’s gonna rub that in your face and blackmail you or something. Treat you like his little pet and hold your debt to him over your head, I can’t believe you fell for it.”

“Look, it was either accept his help or get beaten to a pulp. I know you’d lose your shit if I had went with the latter.”

Jackson huffed at Mark’s perfectly made point. “Still… I don’t like that guy. For him to save you after all this time of treating you like shit? Doesn't add up.”

Mark sighed as the two turned into campus, making their way across the main square toward the academic buildings.

“Just be grateful I’m here. And be grateful that he was there to help. I understand your worry but…” Mark trailed off, remembering back to the brief moments of Jaebum that had made the word ‘cute’ fill his brain. He smiled to himself without even realizing. “...I think there's something to him that we don’t know yet, or don’t understand. Let’s give it time.”

Jackson was about to argue something; as the younger just couldn’t drop a topic no matter what; until he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Mark?” 

Mark recognized that voice; normally when he heard it he’d duck his head and keep walking to avoid being recognized and harassed; but this time he frantically looked around, desperate to find the owner’s face that had been plastered in his mind for the past 24 hours.

He turned around only to be met with that familiar face positioned just a few feet away. Maybe Mark was seeing things, but Jaebeom’s eyes seemed to light up just a bit as soon as their gazes met.

“Oh, Jaebeom, hey…” Mark greeted, his cheeks instantly burning aflame as a rush of memories from the other night crashed over him. Why was he suddenly getting so embarrassed? He could barely pay attention to anything else as Jaebeom approached.

“Fuck off.” Jackson protectively jumped in front of Mark as Jaebeom approached, making the other male halt in his tracks.

Jaebeom sighed in annoyance, raising his hands innocently. “Hey, chill out. I’m not gonna do anything.”

“Good, so turn around and leave him alone.” Jackson retorted.

“Jackson.”

The youngest of the three turned toward Mark, brows raised at the elder. “What?”

“It’s okay.” he replied with a soft smile gently patting the younger's shoulder.

Jackson’s shoulders slumped, his brows knitting together in concern. “But he-“

“I said it’s okay.” Mark assured while gesturing for Jackson to move aside and allow them some space to talk.

Jackson looked at Mark, then back at Jaebeom, then back at Mark again before huffing in response. He shot one last glare at Jaebeom before securing his bag on his shoulder and finally stepping out of the way. “Whatever.”

Jaebeom’s eyes immediately focused back on Mark as soon as Jackson had walked off, the younger finally closing the distance to just a foot or so.

“So um… you okay?” He asked awkwardly, his eyes darting around as if this were something he wasn't used to.

Something again Mark couldn't describe as anything but cute.

He nodded in response, pretending that his shoulder wasn’t still aching from hitting the ground pretty hard that night. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Jaebeom nodded, letting out a tiny breath of relief. His eyes scanned Mark's face, gaze catching on something in particular. Mark wasn’t at all ready for his hand to reach out toward his face, those fingers that had massaged cream into his skin the other night now gently resting under his chin. Mark froze like a block of ice, sucking in a breath and holding it as Jaebum tilted his head and leaned in a bit closer. He felt like if he even moved a muscle, this moment would go terribly wrong and the two would be even more awkward than they already are. 

“The scar on your cheek is healing well. Are the other bruises fading?” Jaebum asked, his fingertips sliding down Mark’s jaw and applying pressure to move his head and provide a better view of the wounds.

Mark swallowed hard, trying to ignore the butterflies that fluttered through him as Jaebeom’s thumb gently brushed over said wound on his cheek. “Um… y-yeah, yeah they’re fading. The cream you put on it really helped, I purchased some of my own.”

Jaebum hummed, clicking his tongue in disappointment. “I should’ve just given you mine, I didn’t think about it at the time…”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Mark smiled; he really hadn't expected Jaebeom to be so worried and caring, but admittedly he was worrying about the younger too. Mark noticed the cuts on his fists healing and a few scratches here and there; he hoped it didn’t hurt since they were pretty much caused by him.

“...Um, s-so…” Jaebeom swallowed thickly, blinking a few times as he realized how close they were standing. He quickly stepped back to a safer distance, awkwardly clasping his hands together as he spoke. “I just wanted to make sure you were alright. You looked terrible the other day.”

Mark nodded, the smile on his face widening. “Yeah, I’m okay. You look better too. I’m sorry again that you had to get in the middle of that. You wouldn't have that cut on your face if it weren’t for me.” 

THe younger gently touched his cheek where the healing wound resided, shaking his head at the statement. “No, I’m used to this, it’s fine.” 

“Yo Jaebeom, stop talking to shithead and let’s go!”

Jaebum turned around, a group of his friends standing in the distance, gesturing for him to join them.

“I’m coming!” He replied before turning back to Mark, his fingers again fiddling with the multiple rings that adorned them. “Um… so…”

“See you around Jaebeom.” Mark replied, doing the honors of ending the conversation since Jaebeom seemed quite uncomfortable doing it himself.

He nodded, flashing him a tight closed lipped smile that faded away just as fast as it appeared. “Yeah… bye Mark.”

The elder watched as Jaebeom slowly stepped back, turning around to quickly join his friends. He continued watching him, even as Jackson approached with a shocked expression on his face, needing to step into Mark’s view to grab his attention.

“What the _hell_ was that?” He asked, glancing back at Jaebeom who was now heading off to wherever he needed to be.

Mark blinked a few times out of his trance, shaking his head at Jackson’s question. “What? He was just checking up on me.”

“He didn’t call you one bad name, didn’t push you, didn’t slam your books on the ground, he didn’t even curse _once_ and called you by your _real_ name… the hell happened to him?”

Mark hadn’t even realized how gentle and nice he was during their brief conversation. It was a nice change of pace to just talk to him without hostility; maybe this nice side of Jaebeom was here to stay longer than anticipated. “I don’t know… he’s been kinder lately…”

“And… he was quite touchy with you if I’m honest…” Jackson added in a grumble.

Mark shrugged, quickly turning away and continuing the walk toward his lecture hall in an effort to hide the blush he could feel heating up his cheeks. “So? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing, I’m just saying… it’s weird that after one night together, you and him are suddenly a lot more friendly with one another…”

“Jackson, stop.”

“What? I didn’t say anything!”

“You’re thinking it. We didn’t do anything.”

Jackson gripped Mark’s arm, stopping the elder in his tracks. “Did he force you to do anything with him? Did he make you promise not to tell?”

Mark shook his head vigorously; he couldn't even begin to think that Jaebum would do something like that; from what Mark experienced that night, he learned that Jaebeom had so much more to him that was yet to be explored, and none of it was anything as horrible as that. “No! Jackson no, he… he would never do that. He just let me sleep at his place because I was too fucked up to walk home by myself. He was caring for me, and we didn’t do anything else.”

Jackson sighed as Mark pulled away and continued walking, following the elder with his worries. “You sure? Mark I can protect you from him if you’re afraid of him snapping at you.”

Mark groaned, stopping again to glare at his roommate. “God, Jackson can’t you just _try_ to see the good in people? I know after all this time watching how he treated me, it’s difficult for you to see anything good in him. But I’m telling you, I really saw something different in him that night that I don’t think anyone else knows about. But he showed that side of himself to me, and I think it means something; not sure what yet but, I want to give him a chance. Please just have some patience, give him a chance too.”

Jackson was quiet for a few moments, his eyes holding the desire to argue a bit more but he was obviously suppressing it for Mark’s sake. He let out a long sigh, shrugging in defeat. “...Okay, fine. I’m just watching out for you, okay? I don’t like seeing you get hurt.”

Mark placed a hand on the younger’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “I don’t need a guardian angel, Jackson. Thank you for being concerned, but let’s just give him this chance and see what happens, okay?”

“Fine…” The younger groaned with the roll of his eye, obviously not a fan of Mark’s decisions, but he wasn’t one to disrespect his wishes. He just resorted to complaining a lot, which Mark had already prepared himself for.

“Thanks.” He replied, patting Jackson’s shoulder before turning away. “See you after class.”

“No problem.” Jackson greeted, waving as Mark disappeared into the lecture hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for the really really REALLY late chapter ;-;
> 
> finally got the motivation to write it, though it's not very long...
> 
> hopefully I'll be more consistent with updates, sorry!


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